There is news that a new company has purchased the Miss Universe beauty pageant. In this article, let’s take the time to appreciate the hard work and contribution made by the recent IMG Miss Universe Winners 2015 to 2021.
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach from the Philippines
The very first IMG Miss Universe was the humble and charismatic beauty Pia Wurtzbach from the Philippines. Her crowning moment was one of the most memorable moments in pageantry history as the host Steve Harvey had announced the wrong winner – Miss Colombia instead of the winner Miss Philippines. She had a difficult childhood after her family divorced when she was eleven years old, she became the breadwinner of her family through modeling and acting. Her love for Filipino culture and tradition lead her to study culinary arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies in San Juan, Metro Manila. Pia grew up with so much responsibility and her resilience has made her one of the most loved beauty queens of all time. Competing three times at the national pageant, Binibining Pilipinas 2013; where she finished 1st Runner Up, Binibining Pilipinas 2014; she was the semi-finalist, and at her third attempt, she won the title of Binibining Pilipinas 2015 (Miss Universe Philippines 2015). Pia is an inspiration to many people who have faced rejection in their life to pursue their dreams, she is a living example to focus on your dreams and keep following your goal to achieve success in the end. After she won Miss Universe 2015, she stayed true to her final answer by helping as an HIV/AIDS awareness advocate after her reign. She has always stayed true to her authentic self while spending her time being part of humanitarian affairs, speaking out against cyberbullying, and supporting people living with HIV as well as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Miss Universe 2016 – Iris Mittenaere from France
After her victory as Miss Universe 2016, this french beauty completed her studies to become a Dental Surgeon. Miss France has been one of the most respected national pageants, witnessing millions of annual viewers who return to celebrate the French beauty. Iris became the second French woman to win the coveted title of Miss Universe after 63 years when Christiane Martel selected Miss Universe in 1953. She spent her Miss Universe reign promoting the importance of oral hygiene by launching an awareness campaign on oral health. She participated in numerous oral hygiene awareness programs in different schools across the world. She traveled to many countries like China, Italy, Morocco, Germany, the Caribbean, and Ivory Coast. She raised funds during the 7th Gala dinner for the Children of Africa Foundation to open a new hospital on Ivory Coast. She also raised 40,000 euros during an auction to donate towards Smile Train.
Miss Universe 2017 – Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters from South Africa
Demi was crowned as Miss Universe 2017 in Las Vegas, United States. She had an emotional journey after becoming Miss South Africa, she got carjacked at Hyde Park in South Africa. Her sharing a traumatic experience and teaching other women about self-defense to protect themselves was an important project. She continues to teach women to defend themselves as she traveled through the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, France, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Lebanon, Egypt, and Malaysia. She is now happily married to her husband, Tim Tebow a former professional American football player in South Africa.
Miss Universe 2018 – Catriona Gray from the Philippines 2018
As a music lover, who expresses herself through creativity like music, Catriona graduated with a certificate in music theory from Berklee College of Music in Boston, United States. In 2016, she competed in the Miss World beauty pageant, where she received love from international fans due to her mesmerizing beauty and innovative talent for singing. She has been actively part of helping the children from the slums of Tondo, Manila through humanitarian work. She dominated Miss Universe 2018, her slow-motion turn walk became an international sensation and was complimented by supermodels like Tyra Banks and Ashley Graham. Her evening gown presentation parading in the red lava gown by Mal Tumang was an iconic moment in beauty pageant history. She visited Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Canada, United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines where she was the ambassador for Smile Train to help children with cleft palate. After her reign, she became the Philippine Red Cross ambassador during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an advocate for indigenous culture and promotes Filipino textiles as the ambassador for the Arts and Indigenous Handicrafts. Catriona had a successful post-career, uplifting women’s lives and becoming a great role model.
Miss Universe 2019 – Zozibini Tunzi from South Africa
Zozi is the third South African woman and the first black woman since Lelia Lopes to win the Miss Universe crown in 2019. She had completed a Bachelor of Technology degree from Cape Peninsula University in South Africa. In 2017, she started her pageantry career by joining the Miss South Africa beauty pageant, where she competed alongside Demi Nel Peters Miss Universe 2017. Zozi gave a commanding performance with an empowering answer regarding the importance of being a role model for young girls by embracing their natural beauty. As Miss Universe 2019, she attended many events through zoom meetings as her reign was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Zozi became the longest reigning Miss Universe winner with 525 days. After crowning her successor, Zozi became an inspirational media personality in South Africa and was featured in an American movie, The Woman King.
Miss Universe 2020 – Andrea Meza from Mexico
Growing up in Chihuahua City to Mexican parents, she has partial Chinese descent. She graduated in software engineering and works as a software engineer and fashion model. Before joining Miss Universe, she had represented Mexico at Miss World 2017, where she finished 1st Runner Up to India’s Manushi Chhillar. Andrea was crowned as the 69th edition Miss Universe winner, the event was held in Florida, United States. She visited the United States, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Israel, and Mexico as a reigning winner. Since she was crowned her successor, she currently resides in Flordia where she works as a television presenter for Telemundo.
Miss Universe 2021 – Harnaaz Sandhu from India
The current reigning Miss Universe winner of the 70th edition pageant is India’s Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu. She was born in the village of Punjab, she grew up in England and India. Currently, she is studying for her Master’s degree in Public Administration. Harnaaz impressed everyone with her remarkable performance during the final event which was held in Israel. She is the third Indian woman to win Miss Universe, after Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000. As an advocate for menstrual hygiene, she has raised awareness about the importance of looking after hygiene for women’s safety. She has traveled to the United States, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, and India. Harnaaz received many harsh comments on social media regarding her weight gain due to her health issues, she has done a wonderful job at handling criticism by embracing her body.
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| Photo by @pageantsaddicted |
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the excellent job of these ladies. They have done this throughout her reign and their post career. The job of a beauty queen is to inspire many people through their voice and their actions.
